History

The firm was founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf, most likely on 24 January1. However, the firm did not publish music until later. In 1725, Breitkopf brought out a Hebrew Bible as their first major publication. Bernhard's son, Johann Gottlob Immanuel, "one of the most versatile figures in the history of German publishing and printing"1 brought the firm to greater prominence. He improved typeseting of music so that music could be printed in larger and more capable editions. Works published included those by Telemann, Leopold Mozart, Haydn, C.P.E. Bach, and Carl Stamitz. By the latter half of the 1700s, all major composers at least tried to have Breitkopf publish works.

The "Härtel" was added to the name when Gottfried Christoph Härtel took over the company in 1795, as Johann Gottlob's sons thought that they could not handle the firm. Härtel became the sole heir of Breitkopf. It was Härtel who first considered publishing complete works editions, publishing "Oevres completes" of Mozart, Haydn, Clementi, etc. Important publications followed: Messiah in 1803, Bach's Ein Feste Burg ist Unser Gott, BWV 80 in 1827, and numerous others, among which 25 Beethoven first editions. The esteemed Allegemeine musikalische Zeitung was, in fact, founded by Härtel. In 1807 Härtel began to manufacture pianos, an endeavor which lasted until 1870. The Breitkopf pianos were highly esteemed in the 19th century by pianists like Franz Liszt and Clara Schumann.

Härtel's sons Raymund and Hermann took over by 1835, and proved more than equal to their father in farsightedness and business acumen. Hermann was friends with Mendelssohn and Schumann (both in Leipzig) and published the first edition of Schubert's C Major Symphony, D. 944 at Schumann's behest. Breitkopf und Härtel were the first to publish the operas of Meyerbeer, Cherubini, Donizetti, Bellini, Mehul, Marschner, and Auber. However, their most famous (and some would say greatest) achievement was in publishing the Gesamtausgaben (Complete Works Editions), starting in 1850 with Bach, and continuing to this day. The Härtel Brothers also published several important musicological texts at the same time. Oskar van Hase and Wilhelm Volkmann, nephews of the Härtels took over next. It was Hase who initiated the "libraries" (Orchester-bibliothek, Kammermusik-Bibliothek, Volksausgabe, etc.). At the same time, the firm published Denkmäler deutscher Tonkunst, a "nationalistic," Teutonic "monument."

The catalogue currently contains over 1000 composers, 8000 works and 15,000 music editions or books on music. The company has consistently supported contemporary composers and has had close editorial collaboration with Beethoven, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Sibelius, Busoni, D'Albert, Liszt, Wagner and Brahms. Currently in preparation are new gesamtausgaben of Boehm, Gesualdo, Lassus, Mendelssohn, Scheidt, Sibelius and others.

Following the partitioning of Germany in 1945, Breitkopf und Härtel owner Hellmuth von Hase relocated his operations to Wiesbaden in the Bundesrepublik Deutschland. In 1952 the Deutsche Demokratische Republik nationalized the remaining assets in Leipzig, and publishing continued there under the name VEB Breitkopf und Härtel. In 1991 the separate companies negotiated a reunification.

Edition and Plate Numbers

Regular issues: Edition Breitkopf (1802-present)

Breitkopf seems to use its plate numbers in a chronological manner. Dates given in plain type have been confirmed in the Hofmeister Monatsbericht (or Hofmeister Monatsbericht Online), Fuld, or similar sources. Dates in italics are estimated, those with an asterisk are copyright notice dates that were probably added after the fact as a "scarecrow."